State briefs: Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. moved to prison at Maxwell

Former Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has been moved from the federal prison in North Carolina to a minimum security prison camp in Montgomery.

State Rep. Alvin Holmes, D_Montgomery, a longtime friend of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, said the Jackson family contacted him Friday night about the 49-year-old former congressman being moved to the federal prison camp at Maxwell Air Force Base. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons' website now lists Jackson as a Montgomery inmate.

Jackson is serving a 2½-year sentence after admitting to illegally using campaign money. The Bureau of Prisons lists his release date as Dec. 31, 2015.

The Montgomery camp has housed several government figures over the years, including former Attorney General John Mitchell and former U.S. District Judge Harry Claiborne of Nevada.

Civil Air Patrol tabs new CEO, national commander

The Civil Air Patrol has named Brig. Gen. Joe Vazquez as its next chief executive officer and national commander.

The selection was made by the organization's board of governors after interviews with four candidates for the position, the organization announced. The Civil Air Patrol's national headquarters are in Montgomery.

Vazquez, who has been the organization's national vice commander since August 2011, will serve as CEO for the next three years.

Vazquez will lead the Civil Air Patrol's 60,000 volunteers across the nation in fulfilling the organization's three congressionally chartered missions - emergency services, cadet programs and aerospace education.

A change-of-command ceremony with Maj. Gen. Chuck Carr, the current national commander, will be held Aug. 15 during the Civil Air Patrol's national conference in Las Vegas.

Investigators: Aiplane in spin before fatal crash

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - Investigators said the pilot of a small, single-engine airplane that crashed into a southwestern Colorado reservoir, killing five people from Gadsden, reported to an air traffic controller that his aircraft was "in a spin" and he was trying to recover it.

The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reported the detail was released by the National Transportation Safety Board, which will conduct a more thorough investigation now that the aircraft has been retrieved from Ridgway Reservoir south of Montrose.

Killed in the March 22 crash were 48-year-old Jimmy Hill, 40-year-old Katrina Barksdale; Barksdale's sons, 11-year-old Kobe and 8-year-old Xander; and Barksdale's 14-year-old nephew, Seth McDuffie. All were from Gadsden, where the flight originated.

The group was on a spring break skiing trip.

11 accused of using Bibles to smuggle drugs into jail

COLUMBIANA - Authorities said 11 people are charged in a scheme to use Bibles to smuggle drugs into an Alabama jail.

Shelby County sheriff's officials said Friday six people are in custody, and they have arrest warrants for five other suspects.

The six people in custody are all men from the Birmingham metro area, where Shelby County is located.

A statement said officers found the opiate drug Suboxone hidden in a Bible inside the Shelby County jail in Columbiana.

A subsequent investigation showed many Bibles were used for drug smuggling during November and December of last year.

The commander of the county drug task force, Lt. Kevin Turner, said suspects persuaded others to use Bibles to smuggle drugs.

He said the jail no longer lets prisoners receive outside books.

Woman charged with burning bed as boyfriend slept

DOTHAN - A south Alabama woman is being held on $2 million bond after allegedly setting fire to the bed where her boyfriend was sleeping.